Colourful shade pot garden ideas

Colourful shade pot garden ideas

These colourful shade pot garden ideas will brighten up a shady spot in the garden, especially if you are wondering how to bring some colour to your garden with little sun. There are many plants with beautiful colours and textures for a shady area and despite them seemingly being tricky, if you choose the right plants for the right place, you can improve the space no end. These plants will grow in a shady border but also work well in pots meaning you can move them if needed, and even if you have a small garden or patio, they will brighten it up because they will grow in pots and containers as well.

Colourful shade pot garden ideas in green 

The colour of nature is, of course, green, so why not create a container full of different shades of green? When we think of colour in the garden, it’s often the brighter colours that we think of, but there are many different shades of green that can create beautiful displays. Euphorbia, Ivy, Ferns and Hostas will make up a container full of green interest for a shady corner. 

Think of textures to create colourful shade pot garden ideas 

When you plant your pots full of colour, think about the textures as well. Some of the most stunning displays focus intensely on texture. Not just to look at but to give you something to touch as you walk by.

  • Lambs ear (Stachys) will tolerate a little shade and has a velvety feel,
  • Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla mollis) has frothy green flowers and soft foliage.
  • Add a Male Fern (Dryopteris filix-mas), and you’ll have a pot of different textures. 

Surprisingly colourful shade pot garden ideas 

Just because the space you want to fill is shady doesn’t mean you can’t fill it with colour. It’s a common misconception that shade means boring, but that’s not the case at all. Fill a large container with good quality, peat-free compost and plant a Bleeding Heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis) for its bright pink heart-shaped flowers. Think of a Siberian bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla) for tiny blue flowers. What about a Cranesbill (such as Geranium phaem) for purple flowers? There are many options. 

Colourful shade pot garden ideas for a calm, cool look 

Suppose you’d prefer a pot of plants that gives a calm feeling go for greens, white and light colours. For a serene look, please try:

  • False goatsbeard (Astilbe) in white,
  • Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum x hybridum), 
  • Underplant with some bulbs such as Snowdrops (Galanthus) or white Muscari aucheri 'White Magic',
  • Add in a Heuchera or a Tiarella, and you’ll have created a cool, calm pot to make you smile every time you see it. 

Come and visit us for shade planting advice, plants, compost, and pots. 

You might also be interested in:

The best time to move plants in a UK garden is the dormant season: late October to mid March for deciduous shrubs, trees and roses, October or late March for evergreens, and early autumn or spring for most herbaceous perennials. Move on a calm, overcast day, lift as large a root ball as you can carry, and replant at the same depth on the same day.

Read more...

Fewer, larger pots grouped in odd numbers, stepped heights and a clear floor: how to arrange pots in a small garden so it looks designed rather than cluttered. Layouts for courtyards, roof terraces, balconies and side returns, plus the materials, compost and watering routine that keep a container garden going.

Read more...

Fertile soil is the enemy of a good wildflower meadow. Here’s how to choose the right mix for your London garden, when to sow it, and the one cut a year that keeps it coming back.

Read more...

Tulips into pots and borders, pot feet under the terracotta, and something evergreen by the front door. Here’s what to plant, protect and bring indoors in a London garden this November, with paperwhites started now for flowers at Christmas.

Read more...